Car Break-in at Carrefour Carpark on Monday, 26/10/2009 at 8.45pm

[robertec]

From SJ Alert EMS

Dear Residents

I went to Carrefour Subang Jaya with the family on Monday 26/10/2009 at about 8.00pm to get a quick dinner remembering that a few weeks back someone reported to SJ Alert EMS that her car was broken into whilst she was there. I parked the car very close to the 3rd floor entrance as I normally do, I don't just park in any available parking space and most times I would even wait for such parking space to become available.

Having found what I thought was a safe enough place (four cars away and facing the entrance), I thought nothing of leaving my Computer & Digital cameras in the car. These items were well hidden behind the driver's seat. It was not possible to see inside the rear of the car as I have very heavy tints and sun shades that permanently covered the rear windows. We went our merry way, thinking that since the period at Carrefour would be very short it would be okay,

We finally did not have Dinner at Carrefour and returned to the car at around 9.15pm to find that the rear driver's window of my car was smashed and items inside removed. I will post the pictures that I took with my mobile phones at a later date when my Computer system is purchased.

What I lost
These are the Material things that were stolen
1. Dell Vostro Notebook (Service Tag No.D94FS1S / Express Service Code: 288-498-206-08) which I was bringing home to re-install Windows Vista Business together with all the original CDs, external Hard Disks, My Internet Banking Security Cards and Internet Banking Dongles, etc...
2. A Canon 7.1 Megapixel Compact Digital Camera and
3. My newly purchased (02/10/09) Pentax Digital SLR Camera (Serial No. 3166127147442) & Lens (Serial No.6501617147392)., including a few hi capacity SDHC Cards and other photographic accessories... I was to use the camera the next day to take pictures of the various proposed LRT sites to highlight at the www.lrttosubangjaya.blogspot.com website so that residents have a better perspective when they submit their comments and feedbacks.
Total cost of my carelessness: RM6,000.00

What is not so easy to replace
What I also lost was 20days of my working life (according to my last full backup of my Hard Disk), these included almost all the emails and files that I used to setup the LRT to Subang Jaya/USJ Website, SJ Alert members registration and other work related research and more than 2500 pictures I took with the new camera during my recent overseas trips.

Consolation
There was a witness who saw the incident (he works as a promoter at Carrefour). He said that as he was parking his car at about 8.45pm, he noticed a small sized Chinese looking guy reaching into and removing things from my car and immediately ran to a waiting motorcycle upon been spotted. This witness says he is able to identify the criminal and that he was willing to help the Police and Carrefour to spot the crook if he should decide to return to do his dirty deed again..

My apologies
I am sorry that I have added to the crime statistics in Subang Jaya, that I am one very careful person with regards to ensuring that there are no opportunities for crime to happen actually amounts to nothing. I suppose you can say that no one is immune to Crime, we can only always remember to be vigilant to prevent it from happening..I have been dispensing advice as if I was some expert in Crime prevention sadly I have been brought down to earth.

Remedial Action
Together with Mr. Teoh of SJ Echo, we approached the management of Carrefour Subang Jaya the very next day. And after a long discussion with Mr. Antoine Gerrier - the Store Director, Mr. Micheal Chang the Security Officer in the presence of Ms Kumutha Veeriah the Customer Care Manager, we have been assured that Carrefour Subang Jaya will dispense their Corporate responsibilities by taking immediate steps to prevent another such incident from happening in their premises and to their customers, these steps include::

1. Brightening all Car Park areas in Carrefour Subang Jaya
2. Installing CCTV around the Car park areas with clear indications to would-be criminals that the area is CCTV monitored
3. Increased regular patrols by their security personnel

all these to be implemented within 2 weeks from the date of our meeting. We have also been invited by Mr. Antoine Gerrier to make a joint inspection together with the Police that the needful has been done.

By the way Antoine is now a member of SJ Alert.

Crime prevention is a shared responsibility.... there I go again, dispensing advice, sorry..

And YES a Police report was made.

Regards
Robert

[gtl]

how do they know that you hv a laptop in your car? are they having devices which detects laptops?
crime in subang is crazy..........

[Rhiga]

Thanks Robertec for sharing this incident with us, and thanks for bringing this up with the Carre4 management.

It is Carre4 responsibility to install measures to make it a safer place to shop.

I urge USJ/SJ and all shoppers stop going to Carre4 until solid security measures have been put in place.

As I posted in other thread, I had stopped going there for a long long time due to safety reasons.

Other shopping malls like KLCC, Ikea can do it, Carre4 should do it also.

[fcloh]

HI Robotech, sorry for yout lost. for your DSLR, do alert in any photography forum like photomalaysia, shutterasia, or photokaki, to alert them, in case any seller selling at the forum I think can identify them easily.

[fcloh]

HI Robotech, sorry for yout lost. for your DSLR, do alert in any photography forum like photomalaysia, shutterasia, or photokaki, to alert them, in case any seller selling at the forum I think can identify them easily.

or else I can help you to post these DSLR serial no in the forum , await for your approval.

[QuietStorm]

how do they know that you hv a laptop in your car? are they having devices which detects laptops?

Apparently there are devices that can detect the presence of laptops in cars. Someone forwarded me an email about that last year. Such devices are easily available in Pasar Road, I was told but I can't be sure if it's true.

[chewie]

how do they know that you hv a laptop in your car? are they having devices which detects laptops?
crime in subang is crazy..........

there is a tracking device which will track laptop batteries... if not mistaken is a component in the battery which these devices can trace...

we have to be very careful with our belongings even though we thought is a short distance... ppl might had followed us and we did not know

[bslee]

Robert, I feel so sorry for you and am glad you've opened this topic with personal endeavors for more public awareness of the evils that go on within Subang/USJ.
For one issue, thats why I still drive my old clunker Kancil around with almost no personal belongings inside, not even a radio, and can park anywhere with least risk of break-in. Its sometimes I wonder we live in 21st century Malaysia and we as rakyat are now resorting to this kind of measures and precautions, take NOTHING for granted nowadays where anything can happen and where least expected. This is Malaysia, unfortunately.
My sympathies for we're further into a failed country.

[besitai2007]

Forum members should realise that thieves now have a device for detecting electronic gadgets in your car, even though you may hide them in the boot, under the seat, etc. I usually carry my laptop and digital camera with me when I had to do some urgent shopping when I park in Carrefore. I would also avoid parking in the second and uppermost parking levels as fewer people park or go there.

Apparently these thieves used a device called an inductive amplifier, an electronic device similar to a handheld metal detector which is about the size of a hairbrush, to scan for laptops and other electronic devices that are kept in cars.

The gadget can be easily purchased from an electronic shop and Pasar Road appears to be an easy source. The conventional use of an inductive amplifier is to detect broken wires buried in concrete. These crooks have now found a lucrative use for these gadgets. The device can detect wires buried in concrete to a depth of 10-20cm. Apparently a car's metal body is no deterrent as they probably point the device through the glass windows.

Read this blog page http://malas-cpk.blogspot.com/2009/0...aptops-in.html

[hezron]

there is a tracking device which will track laptop batteries... if not mistaken is a component in the battery which these devices can trace...

we have to be very careful with our belongings even though we thought is a short distance... ppl might had followed us and we did not know

this one...
information from our company IT department...

[QuietStorm]

we have to be very careful with our belongings even though we thought is a short distance... ppl might had followed us and we did not know

You're right, Chewie. We can never be too careful. I won't leave my laptop in my car even for a minute.

[gtl]

thanks for the info, heard abt it but was a skeptic till now.

[Sentinel]

Not just laptop battery emits the signal to this gadget but other high-powered rechargeable batteries as well. I guess in the case of Robert, his car must be emitting maximum signals because of the laptop battery, the camera batteries etc...

[bslee]

Make it YOUR OWN LAW, NEVER to leave laptops, netbooks, camera, pricy gadgets IN YOUR CAR, even for few minutes. NEVER!. MALAYSIA IS NOW a high theft risk country! Why not?..we hear of it EVERYDAY!
I really wonder what next? Security guard at your front gate?. Its POSSIBLE YOU KNOW?

[robertec]

or else I can help you to post these DSLR serial no in the forum , await for your approval.

Thanks for the help.

I am still trying to get things together.

The Pentax DSLR is not a very popular product, you must have a particular reason to want to buy it (i.e. if you have old lenses and accessories etc...) so the thief will not find it easy to sell.

Most young people now a days never even heard of a Pentax. The more popular DSLR cameras are Nikon and Canon.